Washington, July 22 (IANS) The Trump administration on Wednesday claimed its trade strategy had sharply reduced America’s economic dependence on China, with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer telling lawmakers that the bilateral goods trade deficit had fallen to its lowest level in two decades. Testifying before the Senate Finance Committee, Greer said President Donald Trump’s tariff-driven trade policy had begun reshaping trade flows away from China while encouraging domestic manufacturing …
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Manila, July 22 (IANS) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar agreed on Wednesday to accelerate work on key defence agreements and conclude an interim bilateral trade deal that Washington said is “almost complete”, signalling fresh momentum in the strategic partnership between the two countries. The two leaders met in Manila on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ meetings, where they also reviewed developments in the Middle East and the Indo-…
Manila, July 22 (IANS) Reaffirming their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, the Quad Foreign Ministers on Wednesday underlined their strong support for ASEAN’s unity and centrality in the region. In a joint statement, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio underscored the Quad’s strong resolve for the Indo-Pacific region’s prosperity and its cooperation with…
Manila, July 22 (IANS) External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Wednesday held talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Manila, reviewing key priority areas under the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, while also exchanging views on regional, global and multilateral issues of shared interest. Following the meeting, the EAM took to X and said, “Pleased to meet Secretary Marco Rubio of the USA here in Manila. Our meeting focused on areas which are priority for the …
Manila, July 22 (IANS) External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Wednesday met his Philippines counterpart Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro in Manila, where both leaders discussed ways to advance the Strategic Partnership between the two countries and reviewed recent developments in the Indo-Pacific. Sharing the details of the meeting on his social media platform X, EAM Jaishankar said, “A pleasure to meet FM Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro of Philippines today in Manila. A good discussion on further strength…
Manila, July 22 (IANS) External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Wednesday underlined the need for stronger cooperation between India and ASEAN in the face of growing global uncertainty, saying that no country or regional grouping can effectively tackle today’s challenges on its own. Delivering his opening remarks at the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference with India 2026 in Manila, Jaishankar thanked the Philippines for its warm welcome and acknowledged its role as the country coordinator …
New Delhi, July 21 (IANS) External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar will visit the Philippines on July 22–23 to attend the ASEAN framework discussions as well as participate in the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting with his counterparts from Australia, Japan and the United States. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Jaishankar will participate in Foreign Minister level Meetings under the ASEAN framework, including the ASEAN-India, East Asia Summit (EAS) and ASEAN Regional For…
Washington, July 21 (IANS) The United States condemned what it called China’s “dangerous and aggressive actions” against Philippine navy personnel at the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, urging Beijing to stop what it described as destabilising behaviour in one of Asia’s most contested waterways.The US “condemns China’s dangerous and aggressive actions against Philippine navy personnel at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea on July 20, 2026, and calls on China to immediately ce…
New Delhi, July 20 (IANS) India is increasing engagement with Indo-Pacific middle powers as uncertainty is rising about the future of US security commitments in Asia. According to analysts, India is developing partnerships that enables nations with different strategic interests to cooperate without joining a formal alliance, a report has detailed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a visit to Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand from July 6-11, where India signed several agreements with these I…
New Delhi/Washington, July 20 (IANS) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has left for Philippines to attend the ASEAN meetings and hold discussions with foreign ministers from the Quad grouping. US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor stated that he is looking forward to the second Quad ministerial meeting of the year and expressed Washington’s commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.”Looking forward to joining Marco Rubio this week in the Philippines for our second Ministerial Quad meeting of the y…